


Push Through

by HogwartsToAlexandria



Series: Marie's Ironstrange Shorts 2020 [4]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Biological Child Peter Parker, Child Peter Parker, Divorce, Family, Found Family, Getting Back Together, M/M, Natasha Romanov/Bucky Barnes - Freeform, Natasha is Tony's sister, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Pregnant Stephen Strange, Recovering Alcoholic Stephen Strange, Reunion, Revelations, Surprise pregnancy, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, Trans Pregnancy, Trans Stephen Strange, Unplanned Pregnancy, boys have issues, family gathering, recovering alcoholic Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:55:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24307024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HogwartsToAlexandria/pseuds/HogwartsToAlexandria
Summary: The bottle that ruined their marriage once, would not get them this time; for it didn't taint their love, only momentarily, and painfully, erased their ability to be themselves, and to be together. The road to recovery would be long, but they'd put in the work to make sure it was paved all the way for their second chance at family.Ironstrange Bingo Fill, I5: Family
Relationships: Tony Stark/Stephen Strange
Series: Marie's Ironstrange Shorts 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1665676
Comments: 3
Kudos: 55
Collections: IronStrange Bingo 2020





	Push Through

"You didn't tell me he would be here, why didn't you tell me he would be here? Why is he here, anyway?" Tony rasped in Natasha's ear, his eyes wide and glued to the sight of one Stephen Strange, sitting in one of the many armchairs of Bucky and Nat's living room, in the middle of all their friends, and family. 

"You mean why is my brother present to my anniversary dinner party?" Natasha raised an eyebrow at him. 

"I thought  _ I _ was your brother."

"I'm not even going to gratify that with an answer. So, don't freak out, hug me, go sit down somewhere, I'll bring you apple juice." 

Tony did all of that, from the hug - a little too hard, she was very pregnant, indeed - to the sitting down, to waiting for his apple juice and drinking that and only that. He did freak out though. He felt like crying. He felt like running to him. He felt like retching, maybe. 

Seven months. 

Seven months since Tony had last seen Stephen anywhere other than on the other side of the courtroom they'd been forced to go to for their divorce, for Peter's guardianship. Because they were both morons. And both sick. Both alcoholics. 

He looked better now. Tony couldn't stop staring. He wasn't even ashamed. Stephen's hands shook a little around the glass of cranberry juice Nat had given him a minute before, but not the shaking Tony had grown to loathe because it so looked like his own, no, the fainter, more painful tremble of the accident. That was what it was. 

Tony wanted to run to him and hug  _ him _ , too. He wanted to run to him and kneel at his feet, and latch onto his legs, and never let go. He put his glass down on the nearest table, and got up abruptly instead. 

He saw Bucky look at him out of the corner of his eye, barely registered Steve moving out of the way to let him take the stairs up. 

Thank God Peter wasn't here but at May's today. 

Breathing was starting to prove difficult, and Tony stumbled up the stairs and down the hallway of the second floor until he found the first door he could open, and barged in, and collapsed on the bed there - guest bedroom, perfect. He stayed like that for a long while, face planted in a pillow, trying to regulate his breathing and make sense of his thoughts and not run down and claim his ex-husband lips and cry in his neck for forever and and and… and someone cleared their throats behind him, and he knew who it was, and yet he was petrified. 

"Stephen?" His voice was muffled by the same pillow he hadn't lifted his face off of.

The man understood him as easily as ever, but only hummed in answer. 

Tony flipped over on the bed. Then sat up. Then almost swallowed his tongue. Fuck. 

Tony's eyes stayed wide as he tried to speak, his mouth opening and closing on nothing at all. He hadn't… he hadn't known and the way they were seated, he hadn't seen back in the living room either… Nobody had told him. 

"How long?" He managed to ask, only to watch Stephen bite back a sad kind of smile.

"You know how long," 

Oh fuck his voice. His voice that he'd missed so much that--

"Seven months," Tony rubbed his face hard. 

There were too many emotions, too many thoughts and questions, and that all came out as tears blurring his eyes as he looked back into Stephen's eyes, then back at his distended, seven-month-pregnant belly. 

"And Nat knew, they all did, of course?" 

"They did," Stephen nodded, his voice strained and his face doing that thing it did when he was burying his feelings, "I… I couldn't… I should have…"

"I'm glad you had them." Tony interrupted him. 

Stephen hissed in a breath, nodding. 

"Does Pete know?" Tony was almost afraid to ask - he knew the answer, knew why their baby's face had done that weird thing every time he'd caught Tony staring at pictures from before, all teenager that he was, struggling with having to keep quiet. 

"He did," Stephen confirmed, his hands going to cup his belly at the same time as he looked down at it. 

"Can I… can you come here?" Tony asked weakly. 

Stephen sat down on the bed silently, Tony resisting the urge to help him when it proved a bit difficult. 

Stephen looked up, studying Tony's face - he could feel his gaze even if he couldn't wrench his own away from the proof of the life growing inside the man. "I need to lie down, if you don't mind sharing," 

"Of course not," Tony startled, moving closer to the wall, watching as Stephen twisted around until he was lying next to him on the single bed. 

The room was completely quiet for a while, the two men losing each other in the uncertain, yet peaceful truce they'd finally reached. Tony wanted nothing more than to touch him, this man who had been his life for twenty years and who he'd lost to their shared addiction. The man who'd remained his beacon of light through the rehab stays even after the divorce - just hanging onto their memories and the hope that they'd make it work again if only they could be healthy again, together. 

He bit his lip hard, before asking through gritted teeth, ready to take no for an answer if Stephen so chose, "Can I touch you?" 

Stephen's eyes finally filled with the tears he'd been holding back, and Tony couldn't hold his own off anymore either. He practically sobbed when he cupped Stephen's cheek, and cried into his mouth when he leaned down on his side to press their mouths together. Tony slid his hand into Stephen's hair, reveling in the lost feeling of their mouths slotting together, in the memory of a thousand kisses blending into this one, right now. 

"I've missed you more than life," Tony sobbed again when they caught their breath with their foreheads stuck together. "I'm better now, I… I have this," Tony jerked back slightly to pat the pockets of his shirt, and take out the magical purple chip he'd been given the week before, and put it in Stephen's hand as gently as he could when his own shook. 

He went silent again, knowing promises didn't mean much when it came to alcoholism but hoping the chip would be proof, evidence that he was working his ass off this time around - he'd very rarely lasted this long in the past. 

"Well, this certainly made my recovery easier," Stephen poked his belly softly, smiling at Tony. 

Tony grinned, then bit his lip again, "Do you know--"

"Boy, it's a boy again," Stephen nodded.

And what could Tony do but cry again. Like a baby, he might say. And fall back onto Stephen with his arm going around him and pulling him into a hug, which Stephen accepted easily. The man pressed his face into Tony's neck and wound his arm around his waist, too, and they stayed there. 

They stayed pressed against each other, hugging for dear life, not even inching away when Tony asked again, hesitant to hope, but hopeful nonetheless, "Does you being here mean I get to be a part of this?"

Stephen nodded first, then whispered, repeatedly, "Yes, yes it does, please," 

And Tony shushed him when tears became uncontrollable on both their parts, and they rearranged themselves so Stephen could lay on his other side with his back to Tony's chest. 

They'd have so much to talk about, so much to work on, solve and get past, but for now, reuniting like this would have to do. Being closer to each other than they had in months, if not years - the last ones hadn't been healthy - was everything they needed. 

When Nat came to check on them an hour or so later, she found them wound together still, deep in sleep with their arms crossed over Stephen's stomach. She closed the door of the guest bedroom again behind her, and went down the stairs, thrusting herself at Bucky so he would hold her. 

"Are they…?" Bucky asked, petting her hair gently. 

And Natasha nodded against his chest quickly. "They'll figure it out."


End file.
